asthetically beautiful and entertaining

Rating: 10/10 (27 February 2004)

this is the first movie i'm rating on imdb because i think it deserves enormous praise. in my opinion as a student who studies media arts, it is the best movie to come out in the last 3 years at least.
the movie, like any other, isn't without faults, but they are largely too insignificant to detract from this brilliant movie.
most people know danny boyle is a highly regarded director, but he also lucked out in other areas with this movie. the most important aspect of a work of art will always be the substance, the content. 28 days later is grounded in an exciting and emotional plot. i thought it was also clever that the makers included 2 filmed endings and 1 storyboard ending. this way, people that liked the movie and didn't like the way a certain ending sat with them, could watch another one. if a viewer doesn't like the ending of a movie for some reason or another, it will often put a bad taste in their mouth when reflecting on the movie as a whole. the plot is untraditional in its organization giving it more interest. unlike most movies being made right now, the beginning is relatively slow and still, a nice change. Viewer interpretation is in the forefront instead of concrete plot turns. on being a horror movie: this is not your typical horror movie. there's relatively little gore, but it's scarier than many recent horror movies because of the combined effects of great camera work, unconventional movement and interesting settings. one of my favorite things boyle does in his movies is he brings it down to a very human, tangible, realistic level. at one point, jim has to shave without water, and viewers feel his pain and unhappiness. boyle also seems to love juxtaposition. (examples are the christmas lights in the middle of disheveled london, the countryside where they sleep vs. the city, the red dresses inside the evil, dark house.) i really like the symbolism used ("HELL...HELP", white horses)--they hit you much harder than any other method can. you get a very organic understanding and construction of the emotions of the characters. you'll be surprised how your feelings about jim change from the beginning from the movie to the end. boyle knows when to follow the rules and when to break them. one of the rules that is used because it WORKS is the struggle between good and evil. you know it's being traditional as you watch certain parts of the movie, but you LIKE it. certain parts closer to the end are conciously traditional (rain when jim struggles). i personally liked the "damsel in distress" feeling near the end of the movie. that motif emotionally satisfies something in the average viewer. in the end, most women want to be protected because they are loved. most men like feeling of being needed and being the hero. enough of that. those are the highpoints of the plot, characters, story.

the cast for this movie is perfect. i had never heard of any of the actors before the movie, but they are far more talented than many run-of-the-mill actors. boyle was smart to cast appealing looking, but not "pretty" people. this makes for a more realistic and engaging movie.
almost everyone who watches this movie is astonished by the beautiful, powerful, interesting camera work. you can look up the guy's name on the 28 days later website. without those shots, this movie would not be the work of art many people consider it to be. certain shots are incredibly lonely and cold, others are terrifying. it's a visually exciting movie to watch.

you have to see it to believe it.